Friday Book Debrief Vol 04

Every week we’re sharing what our writers are currently reading. Please join in the chorus and tell us what you’ve been enjoying or slogging through in the comments!

She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey - Cen

A book showing in real time how the sexual harassment story that got the #MeToo movement started. Have only just started but already I’m engrossed.

Buy it here.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkerson - Victoria

I’m reading this for a book club. I was hooked right away by the first few pages, it’s too soon to say anything else!

Buy it here.

Home Now: How 6,000 Refugees Transformed an American Town by Cynthia Anderson - Marian

This book examines the influx of Somali refugees to Lewiston, Maine and the way in which they have helped revitalize the economically depressed industrial town. A straightforward journalistic style makes for an interesting, thoughtful read.

Buy it here.

Royals by Emma Forrest - Jessica

Two troubled London teenagers are brought together by the tragic hand of destiny on the evening of Charles and Diana's wedding. I'm delaying reading the final chapters because I'm not ready to find out if Jasmine and Steven can be saved by their friendship.

Buy it here.

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel - Melissa

The way Gabel has constructed the shape of this complex narrative around music could only be done by a musician herself. This story brings me back to when I played clarinet and piano and makes me wish I had never quit!

Buy it here.

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder & Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe - Cat

A fascinating study of The Troubles in Northern Ireland from the 1960s to the late 1990s. Rather than trying to encompass the entire history of this wrought and prolonged struggle, Keefe focuses on the stories of two women—Jean McConville, a single mother murdered by the Irish Republican Army in 1972, and famed IRA member Dolours Price.

Buy it here.

Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright - Mel

Amidst all of the fervor surrounding articles of impeachment the last few weeks, I found myself wanting to pick up something political, and what could be better than hearing from an ultra sane and responsible adult who also happened to be the US’ first female Secretary of State? She focuses mostly on the atrocities of Hitler, Mussolini, and the like and includes minimal personal facts as it relates to fleeing her country of origin and doing the necessary work toward promoting world peace.

Buy it here.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - Mariah

Rereading a favorite series and spending my time escaping Voldemort’s shenanigans with the boy who lived. This is the one right before shit gets real.

Buy it here.

A Lifetime of Impossible Days by tabitha bird - Michaela

On one impossible day in 1965 we meet Super Gumboots Willa, on the same day in 1990 we meet Middle Willa and in 2050 we meet Silver Willa, all struggling to reconcile the past to save their future. This novel explores trauma, family and resilience with a hint of magical realism, half way in and I'm more than a little invested.

Buy it here.

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender - Akilah

A singular alternate history Caribbean fantasy based on the colonial era. At 10 pages in I had to forget the synopsis to take in, page by page, the unexpected paths Callender treads in their first adult fantasy novel.

Buy it here.

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - Maggie

A riveting dive into a same-sex abusive relationship that will leave you gasping for air. Completely innovative writing, as is expected from Machado, that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.

Buy it here.

The Toll by Neal Shusterman - Courtney

You know that moment when your entire TBR is disrupted due to a book ending on a massive cliff hanger? Yeah, that is my life right now. I NEED ANSWERS!

Buy it here.

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell - Jessica Maria

An epic spanning generations based in what is now known as Zambia; I'm only 100 pages in but the beautiful prose and Gabriel Garcia Marquez-esque story has me rapt!

Buy it here.